The Great Kharlan War
by Lloyd Bryant
Summary: The beginning of the war straight to the end. Most battles come easy but to Kratos and company, some are just as painful as the rest.
1. And so it Begins

**And so it begins . . . **

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing of Tales or Namco, so don't ask. All of it is theirs and they can keep it so long as they produce more of the great things that have been made.

On a very fine day a group of teenagers were passing the time away by skipping rocks on a nearby pond. What they didn't know was the mysterious ways of the people around them. They were completely oblivious to their surroundings while they frolicked and had a great time.

On this day a group of young travelers were wandering the plains near a large seaside city. The four travelers were none other than Yuan, Kratos, Martel, and Mithos. On this day as they were walking about Kratos looked off into the distance. There he saw a cloud of smoke ascending up to the heavens.

"What in the world is that," asked Kratos, pointing to the rising ball of smoke.

As Yuan followed Kratos' finger he replied, "I Dunno, maybe a fire or a barbecue."

As everyone stared in awe at the floating ball of gas they couldn't help but wonder, was there a deeper meaning to it? The group having nothing better to do decided they would go and investigate the scene of the crime.

When they reached the spot the smoke had been hovering they discovered it was not a barbecue. The town was in a shambles and ashes were everywhere. The party stared and wondered who did this and why. The four friends decided they would look around for the culprit or clues leading to the mastermind behind the attacks. The raid was on the elven village Heim, which is in the vicinity of the king's palace.

When the king and his soldiers arrived at the scene they couldn't believe what they saw. The four travelers were huddled together around a small piece of paper.

The king asked, "Who did this to my people?" Mithos and Martel just looked at him and handed him the note.

The note read:

"We are with the humans and have taken all of these villagers prisoners. If you want them back you will have to give us what we want."

The king responded after a moment of silence, "What do the humans want?" Yuan looked at him and showed him the crest of the elven castle.

Kratos then turned to the king and asked, "Why would the humans do something this rash and sudden?"

The king answered sorrowfully, "I don't know but if it is the kingdom they want then they will just have to fight us for it."

* * *

The very next day a similar occurrence took place. The group found themselves lying in a giant meadow miles from civilization. As Mithos sat up he noticed a fire in the distance.

Mithos called to his friends while jumping up, "Attack, there's another attack!"

The four friends whisked over to the human city, Eulcid, which was now being burned. When they got there the evil doers were still around. As Kratos and Yuan ran towards one set of bad guys they unsheathed their swords and began slicing their way to the injured children that were being held hostage.

* * *

Mithos and Martel raced towards the back of the city to see if they could find the culprits of the attacks. When they got to the mayor's office they saw a group of five people clothed in pure black standing around an average fifty year-old man clothed in pure red. They hid behind one of the walls that was not torched and listened intently.

The red robed figure spoke to the mayor who was shaking in fright.

"Now you listen to me, we want to start a war in this world to see the destruction of the kings so we can gain power. I want you to send a messenger to the king with this letter I have made for him. If you do not comply with my wishes you will suffer dire consequences," he spoke as he drew his sword.

The mayor replied, "I will do no such thing"

"Then you will die," The man said while piercing the mayor with his sword.

"NOOOOO," Martel yelled angrily behind the wall.

The henchmen looked around to find the source of the noise. When they looked beyond one of the buildings they spotted Mithos and Martel in a crouching position.

One henchman called to the others, "I found them, over here."

Just as he finished this statement Yuan was on top of him with his dual-sided blade. While Yuan fought off the first attacker the other four and the leader warped out of the town and stuck the note on a stick and left the town. Kratos finally came to the scene of the battle. When he got there Yuan had already taken a blow to the side and was slightly bleeding. Kratos jumped in to help his comrade.

The robed figure held two swords in his hands and was deflecting Kratos' measly attempts at hitting him. Yuan jumped back in to the fight and both of the young fighters were doing pretty well to keep the henchman from striking back. Mithos stared on as he saw Yuan and Kratos fight gallantly together with all of their strength. Mithos saw they were getting nowhere and decided to join the fray.

"I hope you enjoyed living," said the cloaked figure.

"Yeah well I don't see a halo over me just yet," Yuan mocked.

Kratos still focusing on the man and his swordsmanship heard a loud voice form behind, "Fireball."

As Yuan and Kratos jumped out of the way they saw three fireballs zoom pat them and meet the masked fighter. When they hit their mark the fight was over. Kratos turned around to find the magic user and found none other than Mithos standing where the voice came from.

"I didn't know you could use magic," Kratos asked exasperated.

"Yeah, I don't fight too much so not many people know I have this ability."

As the group rejoiced over their victory the human king was making his way towards the city. As he came to the entrance of the town he noticed the paper on the stick and began to read it. When he finished he went through the town to find any survivors but saw none. The four friends had snuck out when they knew the king was coming and decided not to get involved in what they thought would occur next, a war.


	2. A War of the Nations

**A War of the Nations**

Disclaimer: Just so you know again I don't own anything of ToS so don't thinkI do.

After the two fateful tragedies that occurred in the past two days, the world would never be the same. The Elves believed that the humans attacked them and took their people prisoners, and the humans thought that the elves were responsible for the death of the mayor of Eulcid. The group of four travelers knew otherwise. They knew there was a secret organization that was plotting to take over power and overthrow the governments.

The four travelers set off for the capital of the human side. When they reached Volga, the capital, they set out for the castle in the back of the city. When they got there they were denied access to the king.

"Why can't we see the king," demanded Mithos.

"The king is preparing for war and does not need to wipe the noses of some snotty kids," replied the sentry.

"We need to see him to tell him the truth about the attacks," Kratos replied eagerly.

"Sorry kids, but I can't let you do that."

* * *

The group left Volga to see if the elves would listen to their story. When they got to Fisk, the capital of the elves, the same thing happened. After 15 minutes of persuasion they were kicked out of the city. The group disappointed in their races actions decided they would try to stop the war early to stop the killing of innocent people. Their first job was to locate the assassins and find the location of the prisoners.

* * *

One week later they were still where they had begun. They did not find one clue to help them in their search. The two towns of Eulcid and Heim, the elven city, were composed of nothing but ashes. They also tried looking in neighboring cities to see if they could find the culprits with no such luck. 

Willing to give up Kratos spoke, "We've looked just about everywhere we could and we still haven't found one stinking thing."

"Don't lose hope yet," Martel responded cheerfully, "We just haven't looked in the right place yet."

As the group set of towards a city known for its chaotic nature they spotted a cave off in distance a couple miles from their next destination. They took off in a sprint to hopefully find the missing prisoners that the evil ones had captured.

When they reached the entrance of the cave they were faced with an enormous challenge. Three of the remaining four black robed men were standing on the outside of the cave's opening. Here the group was thrown into the battle to save the prisoners.

Yuan and Kratos each fought one while Mithos and Martel attempted to take the last one down. Yuan and Kratos were fighting like they never fought before just so they wouldn't die. These three were a lot tougher tan the last one they had fought.

Mithos and Martel were the first to go down. The magic casters didn't stand much of a chance and were taken hostage. Yuan fought gallantly but to no avail and was captured also. Kratos, having the most fighting experience did quite well and was beating the one robed figure but the other two joined in and Kratos was outnumbered. He fought as hard as he could but fell just the same as his comrades.

* * *

The next morning the group of friends awoke inside four separate dungeon cells inside the cave they had found. 

"What happened," asked a just waking Kratos?

"We all got captured, our supplies were taken away, and we are in different cells in, wherever we are," replied a familiar voice.

"Is that you Mithos," Kratos asked.

"No you idiot, its Yuan. Of course it's me," was Mithos' sarcastic reply.

"Well sorry, I really don't know your voices like I know swordsmanship.

"Anyway, we need to devise a plan to get out of he . . ." but the sentence was cut short as the guards zapped Mithos and took him away.

"Mithos? Mithos!"

* * *

While Kratos sat pondering the fate of his friends they were busy trying to escape another sinister plan. The other three friends were tied to experimental tables and were surrounded by a bunch of doctors. What the three companions didn't know was what the doctors were going to do to them. The next thing they know they see Kratos being dragged in by two guards. Apparently he had put up a fight because one of the guards had a cut on his let arm. They put Kratos on a table left of Yuan who was left of Martel and Mithos was on the right side of Kratos. When Kratos came to he stared around the room. 

It was dimly lit and it stunk of sewer water. It had leaks in the ceiling and water was dripping through the pipes on the walls. There were ten doctors in the room at this time and their faces were lit by bright blue and red gems hanging from the wall they were close to. The four friends sat in awe over the many mysterious things that were in the room and wondered why they were needed.

Martel spoke up, "Let us go."

"No way," replied a sinister man who was making his entrance through a secret door.

"Why not," yelled Mithos.

"I need to perform a couple of experiments on you with these wonderful gems I have been playing around with. Don't worry though, it will actually make you all stronger and hopefully you will join me in my conquest," replied the same evil voice.

This person turned out to be none other than the head of the black robed figures. He whispered to the doctors and set off down into the dungeons to see his prey. As the group's eyes followed him they were lulled into sleep by a mysterious gas.

* * *

When they woke up they were in some kind of glass room with the doctors on the other side. There were growls coming from the left wall and when the group looked to see what it was they saw a cage and darkness. They decided then and there what they must do. 

"We have got to get out of here. They are running some weird experiment and I will not have any part in it," was Kratos' objection.

"I don't know, maybe things will be interesting now that we have these little gems on our hands," was Mithos' reply.

Just then everyone looked down to see the sparkling blue gems that were now on their hands. They had no clue what it was or how it was made, but they did know it looked cool. Just as they began to devise a plan the gate on the left wall opened and a beast emerged from the darkness. The beast was at least eight feet tall, had horns on its head and closely resembled a lion.

"Begin!" came the voice on a speaker in the room.

The animal charged forward to the unsuspected comrades, but as it charged the group just sat and smiled. For some reason they felt as if this thing came natural. When the monster was just five feet away the group jumped out of the way as if a slug were charging them. The next thing that happened was Kratos and Yuan found their weapons and drew them. As they charged the giant monstrosity they felt a surge of mana in their bodies. Yuan decided to use his Thunder Explosion technique to see if anything would improve. Sure enough, instead of a few bolts falling upon his enemy, about fifty rained down upon the unsuspecting beast for huge damage.

Kratos came in with his dual-edged sword and started raining rapid blows upon the feral beast. Mithos stood and watched in awe as the two melee fighters went at it. An incantation sprang to mind as he sat and watched that he had never before heard or seen. He decided to use it.

"Indignation," was the cry from the background.

Just as this was said an electric aura circled the enraged beast and seconds later a giant thunder bolt came crashing down to finish off the enemy.

"When did you learn that," asked Yuan.

"I honestly don't know. Something told me to say it so I did and that cool looking lightning attack came out. I guess it was because of these little gemstones on our hands."

Everyone but Martel noticed that their little gem was sparkling, like it helped them to win that fight. In fact, it was the little gemstones that gave them their newfound abilities. As the group walked towards the glass panel Mithos stopped them.

"Stop! Let me handle this," Mithos replied with confidence.

As everyone got out of the way Mithos spoke the incantation, "Holy Lance!"

Just then five bright white lances fell form the sky, four making an X shape while the last one fell straight down upon the glass. As the glass shattered Yuan and Kratos went in for the kill. One by one the doctors tried to scurry about, but to no avail. They were all dead in an instant. One doctor remained but this one was kept alive to interrogate.

"What in the world are these spheres on our hands and what do they do," asked Martel in her angry voice.

"The things on your arms are called Exspheres and what they do is bring out your potential powers in battle to make you stronger and more able to react."

Just as this was said Kratos stabbed the man and he fell to the ground.

"Well we now know what these are now we just need to free the prisoners, get the bad guy, and stop all this senseless fighting," came Yuan's response.

As the team set about freeing all the prisoners they noticed that they all had Exspheres also. Then they searched for the leader of this escapade, but could not find him. Just as they were giving up they headed towards the entrance of the cave for one last look. As they were exiting the man robed in red appeared out of nowhere and told the group.

"It is to no avail, the damage is already done."

Then the man disappeared. As they group walked out they gazed at the horrific sight in front of them. The war had started.

END: You all are great. Thanks for the great tips and hints for this chapter, if you have any ideas for my next chapters, please send them to me.


	3. A Try for Peace

**A Try for Peace**

Discalimaer: For all those who don't get the picture, I DON'T OWN TALES!

After the company saw the horrific scene before them they knew they were the only ones that could stop it. The group decided to split up. Martel and Yuan went to the Elven castle and Mithos went with Kratos to the human castle.

Martel and Yuan arrived first and asked to see the king.

"No one is allowed to enter. NO ONE!" replied the sentry at the door.

Yuan yelled back, "This whole thing is about the war so why won't you let us in. We have news to give the king about the battle."

"Fine," said the guard reluctantly, "but only for ten minutes."

"That will be long enough." said Martel.

* * *

Kratos and Mithos reached their destination shortly after the other group did, but didn't have the same amount of luck.

"If you won't let us in, I swear I will kill you." shouted an angry Mithos.

And the fight was on. Kratos easily took out the left guard with a series of quick stabs. Mithos on the other hand was not doing as well. Mithos had to run around to find a good spot to cast his magic. He finally got fed up with it and cast a quick fireball which leveled the chasing guard. Mithos was amazed at the power of his simplest spell. It took out one of the king's best soldiers. As the sentry fell to the ground Kratos burst down the door and ran to the throne room with Mithos on his heels. When they got there the king and queen were waiting for them with about 50 guards. They had heard the battle outside and prepared for the worst.

* * *

Yuan and Martel pleaded with the king of the elves to stop all of the senseless fighting.

"There is no need anymore. We brought back the prisoners and it wasn't the humans who took them either." Martel confided in the king.

"That doesn't matter anymore," the king quietly responded, "the humans are after all our magitechnology and they don't even care that their people were gone."

Horrified Martel and Yuan left the king's presence and went to see if Mithos and Kratos had better luck.

* * *

The last sentry fell to the ground with a gaping hole in his shoulder and immense pain surging through him. As Mithos and Kratos walked up to the king the queen ran to see if she could rally together more troops.

"Why won't you take our advice and end this war before innocent people get hurt?" Mithos yelled in the king's face.

"Yeah, and why didn't you stop the war after your people from the burned down village returned." replied Kratos.

"We have enough people in this country to help our cause, but the elves will try and take us over if we do nothing to stop the growth of magitechnology." The king answered sincerely.

"If you do nothing to stop the war now then I will be forced to stop it myself. You may not like that outcome so I suggest you look over my proposition carefully." was Mithos' remarks.

As the two warriors left the throne room they heard distant clattering of armor getting closer and closer to where they stood. The two companions decided to split up and search for answers in the castle and as to not get caught. As Kratos was looking about he saw the note that was left at the entrance to the human city which was burned. He read the note and immediately took off down the hallway to find Mithos.

When Mithos was found they both darted out of the castle and Kratos told about everything he saw. Mithos was also astonished, and realizing what this meant, he gave up on trying to end the war with friendly persuasion, but now this war was personal.

END: Thanks to all those who gave me good reviews and those with bad reviews to help me in my stroy. Keep them coming.


	4. The Power to End All

**The Power to End All**

As Kratos and Mithos trudged onward to meet the other half of their company, Kratos could not keep the contents of the note out of his head.

"Our magitechnology is better than yours. We will divide your nation to conquer it. If you don't think so then why have we only attacked one village for now? Others will be on the way. A warhas been waged."

Finally the two separate parties joined together outside the city of Palm. As Kratos relayed the message to Martel and Yuan, they were set aback by the details of this letter.

Just as Kratos finished his sentence Mithos butted in, "We have to find a way to stop all of this nonsense. If we do maybe we can reclaim the titles we once had before we were found out."

As Mithos finished his statement the four friends took a flashback into their terrible past. They were recalling the reason for being banished out of their hometown. It was because of the discrimination of half-elves that decided their fate in the world. Because of this they were regarded as "inhumane" and other foul terms.

The group came back to their senses and agreed with Mithos' statement. So the group decided that they were the only ones who could end the war, but they must figure out how. As they were pondering this thought Yuan looked down at his hand.

"Maybe we can use these Exspheres to our advantage. If we could find out what they help us with then maybe we can get a significant boost in our fighting."

"The guy did say it helped increase our fighting potential, so why don't we train a while to see if we can learn anything about these mysterious gems." Martel said thoughtfully.

As the group agreed with Martel, they set off to find a training ground to hone their skills. They settled at a place with nothing but rocks in a two mile radius. They decided they would rest for now but on the following day it was to be hard at work.

* * *

The next morning came and one person was already up. Yuan wanted to start early to make sure he hadn't lost any of his other skills. After he went through every single one of his moves, he noticed that he wasn't even tired so he began to train to learn his new skills. By this time the whole group was up and rearing to go. Yuan and Kratos decided today would be a great day to test their newfound sword skills while Mithos and Martel tried to find out what Martel's new powers were. While Kratos and Yuan pushed their new abilities to the limits they discovered that they could link together combos of moves to add massive damage to their opponents. Mithos and Martel got nowhere and decided to stop and take a lunch break.

When lunch was served Kratos and Yuan walked over at the smell of the roast that was smoking up the area. After lunch the group decided to rearrange themselves. Yuan and Martel vigorously went off to find Martel's hidden power while Mithos and Kratos found out what Mithos' spells could do.

As Mithos went through his regular entourage of spells, Kratos' one desire was to dodge them all. With this on his mind Kratos set about to do it. As he was easily evading the magic spells while prancing around, he decided he would take this seriously. He wanted to know just how to cast these spells, or at least some of them. As he was watching Mithos perform a fireball spell Kratos fell to the ground. He was too busy paying attention to Mithos and his spell casting that he hadn't noticed the rock that was jutting out from the ground. Just when Kratos fell Mithos released the scorching fireballs straight at Kratos. When the fireballs were about a foot from Kratos' face a magical barrier appeared and surrounded him. He had no idea where it had come from but was not taking any hits from Mithos' magic spells.

When Kratos got up Mithos rushed over to him.

"How did you do that?" Mithos asked.

"Honestly I don't know. First I was having fun dodging then I fell over and just when I could feel the heat from the fireballs the barrier popped up." Kratos replied.

"I think it was a summoning of your mana to protect you from magic spells." Mithos responded.

Just as this was said there was a squeal of excitement from the other group of their friends. Martel had finally discovered her powers. She was now the proud owner of healing techniques which would come in handy to help their quest. As the groups redistributed themselves they continued to hone their skills. While Martel and Yuan went off Kratos asked a devastating question.

"Can you teach me how to do magic?" Kratos asked.

"Why? I thought you didn't want to learn any magic." Mithos questioned.

"Well looking at all the cool powerful magic you can cast I say let you cast all that and I can cast some more of the puny magic spells like Fireball and Wind Blade."

"Sure, I guess I can try to teach you."

And so it was, Mithos started to teach Kratos how to perform the simple magic spells and maybe if he mastered them quickly enough he could gain some mid-level magic's as well. As Yuan tested his new found magic upon himself, Martel also practiced her healing and aiding magic.

As the day progressed the group realized they just couldn't take any more training that day so they thought they would get a brisk walk to the nearest city, pick up some food items then they would walk back. When they got to the nearest city they saw that it was under heavy reconstruction from the late attacks from the elves. Kratos led the group as he was the only real human in the group. When they got to the supermarket, they decided to look around. They first looked for some fishing tools because of the lake beside the training ground was full of huge fish. Next, they started to locate anything they might need to survive out in the wild for about a month. They stocked up on apple and orange gels, elixirs, and other necessities of life. Now, due to Martel's newfound abilities, they wouldn't have to use as many items as they did before, so they didn't have to buy as much.

When they got out of the market and started to head home the most unusual thing happened. Martel was walking along in the front of the pack when suddenly two feathered, glistening wings protruded from out of her back. Right as this occurred she fell to the ground, unconscious. As Mithos and Yuan rushed to her aid Kratos couldn't help but overhear villagers talking in hushed whispers to themselves.

"Who in the world is that?" questioned a villager.

"Maybe it is a Summon Spirit, maybe they have finally awoken to help us in our plight," responded the person beside Kratos.

"Whoa, wait. What in the world is a Summon Spirit?" Kratos asked without a clue in his mind.

"Don't you know? They are said to hold mysterious and enchanting powers that correspond to each of the elements in the world."

"Wow, so they are pretty powerful then. Do you think they could stop this war if they were to be summoned on the battlefield?" Yuan jumped in.

Martel was finally aroused and was able to stand while leaning on Mithos.

"Yes and no," the commoner said, "because the elves have a set of spirits so if both sides were to summon them then we would just have more destruction on our hands."

"But what if a neutral person were to summon these spirits?" Kratos asked.

"I have no idea." said the villager.

After this comment the group decided to head back to their training ground to help Martel and discuss what they just heard.

When they got "home" they let Martel lie down so she could get some rest. Meanwhile, the rest of the group discussed they many things that had happened in the last couple of hours.

"Summon Spirits; is that what they were called?" Yuan asked.

"No," Kratos replied with sarcasm, "they were Spiritable Summoners."

"Ha ha very funny, any way, what do you think about all this Mithos?"

"I think it is the best shot we have at ending this war. I read once how to summon things in the library at Heim, so if we can sneak back and find that book we just may be able to summon these so called spirits." Mithos replied.

"Sounds great, but what will we do with them when we have them all?" Kratos pondered.

""Well, we can either force our plan into their minds or we could always try talking to them with the newfound powers that we will hold in our grasp and maybe tell them we will kill them all if peace is not discovered soon."

"So what are we waiting for? Let's go on over to Heim to find us some Summon Spirits," Yuan yelled excitedly.

As the group finished their discussion of the matter Martel awoke from her slumber to the compliments of the group. As she got up the group looked at her to see if she was going to be all right, and realizing her effort to get up they saw she would be fine. She stood warily, not knowing if she was going to stand at all, and looked around the cozy cave they called home. She started to wander around the cave's insides to try and keep her balance, but soon she stood no longer. Her legs gave way as she plummeted to the ground with a thud. Everyone rushed over to help her stand and finally tell her the good news.

* * *

When the story had been announced to Martel, the actions were taken into consideration. What would they have to do? How far would they have to go? And the toughest question of all, where do the Summon Spirits reside? These questions were not to be treated lightly, and soon the group found themselves setting off back to the town they had recently visited.

When they got there the town was deep into the nighttime setup and most people were already asleep. So, the group decided they would rest at the nearby inn and get ready for the next day.

When the next day rolled around the group set off into the town earlier than usual to stock up on some last minute food and health items before they set out. When most people in the town got up to go to work or school that is when our heroes split up and asked around to see if they could find out just where these Summon spirits reside.

While asking around they found the answer they were looking for, or at least part of it. They knew were at least one of the spirits resided. Gnome was in a cavern not too far from the city and a villager happened to stumble upon it one day and that is how our group found out. They also knew if they asked Gnome they would find out where the other spirits reside. So they set off!


	5. The Beginning of the End Pt 1

**The Beginning of the End part 1**

On this particular morning our group of friends are now embarking upon a dangerous mission. They have gone south to enter the cave of the earth Summon Spirit, Gnome. It took them three days before they noticed signs that they were going in the right direction. Finally, they reached their destination. But, they didn't go back to Heim to retrieve the Summoning arts book that Mithos said he wanted to reread.

"Hey Mithos, what about that book you said you wanted?" asked Yuan politely.

"I wanted to test our own skills first, then if we get demolished or die, then we will go back to get the book." Mithos replied.

"So you are saying you want to go off of what you remember and hope it succeeds?" Kratos asked with a hint of terror in his tone.

"Sure, I want to see whether or not you people that follow me are really good enough to be my companions. As of right now no one will follow me unless they do a GREAT job in this fight." Mithos added.

"FINE!!! I didn't want to follow you anyway. What's to say you don't screw us all up, huh? I won't sit by and watch you fight. I will fight with you and then against you if need be." Kratos screamed.

"You want to fight, then so be it. We will fight right after our match with this Gnome guy and I will prove who is to hold leadership here."

As the two stormed into the cave there was a massive tremor. The walls that were made of compressed rocks lost some in the form of boulders. As the group dashed through, trying to avoid the plummeting rocks the two were still in confrontation.

"This is all your fault," Mithos told Kratos, "You just had to shout and let Gnome know we were here."

"I wouldn't be so sure loudmouth. You are the one who gave us away. You need to learn to be a quieter leader or you may end up killing everyone that is above and below you." Kratos said enraged.

The two then realized what the center of the small earthquake was. It was a giant brown colored gnome the size of a one story building. It had a white stomach and a red bow sitting atop its head.

Yuan stepped forward, "Are you the Summon Spirit called Gnome?"

"What the heck are you doing, I am the leader and you are just a peon under my command," Mithos shouted.

Yuan took a step back. In all his years with Mithos he knew he had a bit of a temper but it never seemed to be against him. Yuan looked down, puzzled at his comrade's behavior. If Mithos was going to be like this then he just would not fight with him. Yuan turned to walk back out of the cave but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"I am sure he didn't mean it. Can't we just all get along?" Martel said.

"Whatever, I am not fighting this one if he is going to act like this," Yuan responded quietly.

So Yuan took off to the side and sat waiting to see if the other three were going to go with or against Mithos and his attitude.

"Mithos, let me take this wimp, he seems to strong for our makeshift leader. Let a real hero handle the dirty work," Kratos shouted.

"Dirty work, hey is that a joke. Do you know who you are talking to? I am Gnome the Summon Spirit of Earth," spoke out Gnome.

The two arguers were astonished. The thing called Gnome stopped squealing to yell at the two of them. Why? Did it fell threatened or was it just tired of listening to the two bicker like an old married couple. Whatever the case they knew they had to defeat Gnome to move on to end the war.

"I am taking this fight," Kratos spoke.

"No the leader and the summoner get to fight this one, and since it is one person, I will be the only one to fight," Mithos replied.

"And you think I am just going to sit by and let you take all the glory, no way," Kratos yelled.

"Let's play rock, paper, scissors to decide which of us is going to fight alone, but we all know it is me that will be able to make the pact with Gnome."

"Boy, sure is a tough crowd," Gnome spoke out, "but if you insist on fighting me alone then knock yourselves out,"

As the two companions squared off to start their kinky game of rock, paper, scissors, the rest of the party stared in shock and awe at how the two were taking their anger out on each other. Well, at least they didn't fight each other. The game began with two draws of paper and rock. Then the third go round Mithos prevailed with rock over Kratos' scissors.

"You cheated you little twerp," Kratos fumed.

"You are just upset that you lost, know I have a spirit to destroy," Mithos replied coolly.

As Mithos walked towards the now sleeping Gnome he stopped suddenly as the mighty beast awoke.

"Yawwwwwn are we ready now?" Gnome spoke.

"I am ready to defeat you no matter what it takes," Mithos snapped.

Then fighting ensued. Kratos enraged at the prospect of his loss walked to wards Yuan and huffily slumped to a sitting position. As the two companions watched from a distance they noticed Gnome was getting beat here and there and Mithos just looked like he was playing around. The next second Mithos spun around to cast a simple magic spell and Gnome threw his head to the ground and charged forward. While doing this the ribbon on top of his head started spinning violently, like an air plane engine. Mithos flung himself aside and Gnome suddenly stopped and cast Stalagmite. A giant spire emerged from the floor right beneath Mithos and sent him skyward. Mithos quickly recovered in the air and decided to stop wasting time.

"You are a pretty good opponent Gnome, but this fight ends now."

"Yeah right, so far all I can see is a little doll being tossed into the air and still hasn't done to much of the whole fighting business."

Mithos then conjured a spell he had not let his friends see yet. Air Thrust was the cry that was heard inside the caves. A giant ball of slashing wind surrounded Gnome and continued to pelt the now defenseless creature. After this one attack Gnome was almost drained of all his energy. A couple more Air Thrusts and the super-sized spirit was beaten.

"I now need to ask that I make a pact with you so I can go on and end this war," Mithos said tiredly.

"Tell me your vow and I will join you," Gnome said.

"I wish to end this war and make a world where elves can live without persecution," Mithos said calmly.

"Your wish is my command," Gnome replied.

"Wait. Before you go," Mithos implied, "I want you to tell us where the other Elven Summon Spirits reside."

"Oh, you mean Celsius, Shadow, and Volt? Yeah, they exist, go find them yourselves," Gnome protested and disappeared into a shining brown spherical light that settled upon Mithos and then went inside him.

"Wow, that was cool," Martel said with awe.

"Good, now we have no idea where the other spirits reside and it is all your fault," Kratos yelled infuriated.

"Wrong," Yuan said as he stepped from the shadows of his sitting position, "he told us exactly where each one lies just by their names. One, Celsius, would be found in the snow-topped mountains of Jabootie also, Volt, found on the eastern plains of Eletrick (pronounced ella treek). Shadow can be found in the dark ghost town of Cane Hollow in the west."

"Well I guess if we were all logical like you and I Yuan, we wouldn't have had to discuss this in a committee and we would be on our way right now," Mithos replied.

"What are we waiting for, let's go!" Martel shouted excitedly.

* * *

While the group was leaving they noticed they were a member short. Kratos in his rage had exited the cave without the others realizing he was even there. Yuan and Martel became worried and decided to look for Kratos until nightfall then they would just have to proceed without him. As they began their search they noticed tracks that lead from the cave of to the east.

"He must have gone after the next Summon Spirit, Volt. I hope he doesn't do anything stupid before we can reach him," Martel said sadly.

"He is tough enough and I taught him first aid, so he should be fine on his own. My question is why Volt? He is probably the toughest opponent out of the four Elven spirits," Mithos replied.

"Well, if you wouldn't have been so hard on him Mithos and just bit your tongue, we would all be friends and we wouldn't have to chase down one of our own teammates," Yuan said while glancing to the east.

"Yeah, well, he did deserve it. Right now I am the only one that can summon any spirit so technically I have more power than you all so that would make me the leader and not him."

"Yeah but if you would have told yourself that you wouldn't have fought at all and Kratos would probably still be right here next to us enjoying this conversation with us," Yuan shouted.

Mithos then sat there, stunned. He had never been yelled at so much in his entire life as he was in this one day. He pondered this thought as the group of three rushed onwards to help out their friend that was whisking his way to the Tower of Lightning.

When the three companions got there they noticed the door had been slammed open and that there was someone yelling further in. As the group rushed down the long hallway the yells became clearer. While they could not make out what the person was saying but they recognized the voice. Kratos was standing in front of a giant ball of floating electricity. The orb floated above the ground two to three feet. The mass of purple lightning bolts was a sight they group dared not miss. Kratos was seen in front of it screaming at it.

Yuan walked up to him, "What is the matter Kratos?"

"This dumb thing can't speak so I have no idea what it is trying to tall me."

"_Claim your vow so we can start the fighting. I like to find out what kind of human I will be fighting._ That is what Volt is trying to say, Kratos," Mithos told him.

"I don't need any help from you, you snot-nosed brat. I don't care if you are the leader of a thousand troops, I will still not follow any of your orders anymore," Kratos exclaimed.

"I am here because of you, stupid!" Mithos shouted.

"I don't care what you came for; I am fighting this guy so stay out of this. Volt I ask that you will join me in my conquest and to stop this war.

" . . . . "

"Huh?" Yuan pondered.

"He says lets fight to see if you are worthy." Mithos replied.

Then the next battle was waged. Kratos first decided to charge into the battle and start by swiping his sword through the purple ball. Next he backed off while Volt cast lightning. Next he charged, did three slashes and followed with a shockwave caused by his force and called it Demon Fang.

Volt then became very serious. He started this new phase by making a magical purple circle around Kratos on the floor and waited to procure enough energy. While Volt was busy, Kratos started his attack with a barrage of Demon Fangs followed by Fireball. As the rest of the group stared on at the magnificent abilities of a human they began to wonder about the circle. Mithos then realized what Volt was about to cast.

"Watch out Kratos, he is about to perform Indignation!!" Mithos exclaimed.

With one swift look and a broad smile, Kratos decided now was the time. He took off towards Volt as quickly as he could. As he reached the outer part of the circle Volt cast his attack. It struck Kratos' hind leg and made him immobile. Realizing this Volt came in for a close range barrage of swift lightning attacks. As soon as Volt was within range he started pelting Kratos with lightning and spark wave attacks. As Volt was about to cast another spark wave, Martel and Yuan stepped in. Martel healed his leg and Yuan created a force field so the other two could escape. Then the real battle ensued.

As Yuan and Kratos flung in and out of Volt's lightning spells, Martel cast protect and other support spells to add to defense and attack. Yuan and Kratos then ran in close and started a barrage of sword swings and finally felled the purple ball.

" . . . . " Volt asked.

"He says make your vow," Mithos said, "guess it's my turn."

As Mithos walked forward and told Volt their goal Kratos and Yuan sat backed and talked about Kratos' disobedience and his behavior. Mithos collected the electric spirit and came back to talk to the group.

"Kratos, I would like to thank you for teaching me a lesson. I didn't know what I had lost until I noticed you fight with Volt, but now I am very glad to accept you as a friend a team member. Don't apologize, I don't deserve it. As for leadership, I decided we don't need a leader for now. We work well enough together to discuss important issues as a whole and not just with one person."

Kratos and Mithos stared at each other for a minute them both cracked a big smile. The whole group started to laugh for no apparent reason. After they finished their chuckling they set off as a group to the north.

* * *

It took a week to reach the northern city of Glacier Peak. When they got there they resupplied with the necessities they need and took off farther north to the lair of Celsius.

When they came to a small cave entrance they figured it would be the entrance to the next Summon Spirit. As they continued their journey through the caves many tunnel they finally decided they were lost.

"Where are we exactly?" Yuan asked.

"I have no clue but I think we are lost," Kratos replied.

"Good work Sherlock what was your first clue?" Yuan said.

"Hmmmm, probably at the entrance when this place became as navigable as a pigsty," Kratos huffed.

"Well now that we have this settled let's find away to find the real track to Celsius," Mithos barged in.

"What's this?" Martel exclaimed.

As the group turned around they saw a dog with icicles poking out its back. It looked like a cross between a porcupine and a wolf. The group carefully picked its way across to where the dog was sitting and when they got two feet away the dog howled and ran down the misted tunnel.

""Follow it," Mithos yelled to his partners.

Before he said that, Yuan and Kratos unsheathed their weapons and took off after the deranged animal. With Mithos and Martel at their heels the group slowly descended through the dark tunnels after the creature. When they finally spotted it again it was with a blue-haired girl who looked no older than them.

"Do you like Fenrir?" the kid asked.

"Who is that?" replied Martel, "Is it your dog?"

"If that is what you humans call it, then yes," the spirit responded.

At this time the thought hit them all hard. They were looking at Celsius, the ice Summon Spirit. Mithos then walked forward to begin the challenge of the day.

"I ask that thou wouldst make a pact with me," Mithos cried.

"Very well," replied Celsius, "let's fight."

Kratos and Yuan quickly drew their weapons and rushed into the forefront. Martel and Mithos pulled out their staves and started to cast their magic. Yuan and Kratos headed strait for Celsius but, before they got to her they were attacked by the blue ice dog.

"Where did that thing come from?" Kratos asked.

"I don't know, but it is an enemy now so go and kill it," Yuan said winded.

As the two began their relentless attack Kratos headed towards Fenrir, the dog, and Yuan stayed fast to Celsius.

Mithos switched between the two enemies calling out fire spells like Explosion and Eruption. Both spells hacked away at the health of the two spirits. Kratos and Fenrir kept slicing and clawing each other until Kratos backed away and finished the mutt with his Light Spear attack. Celsius on the other hand, was fairing well against the worn out Yuan. Martel desperately tried to heal him but he just got more and more damage done to him. Finally Yuan blacked out. Kratos ran to his companion's aid while Mithos flew into an enraged state. Without realizing it he ran to the cool beauty and performed Outburst. This massive sphere of light energy sent the ice spirit sprawling against the other side of the cave with a sickening thud. After this attack the spirit could not get up. Celsius gave in and added her power to the group.

As the group finished setting up camp for the night Yuan finally woke up. The rest of the group hurried over to push him back down.

"You need your rest Yuan," Martel said, "you put up a very good fight."

"Really, I didn't think so. I got pummeled by that little ice witch and then I even became unconscious. How would you feel if you let your teammates down?" Yuan replied.

"Well," Kratos interjected, "first I would say to them I did my best then strive to improve to help even more than what I did during the other fights. Then my teammates would see that I am no coward and that I am ready and willing to go the extra mile."

"Kratos! That is enough." Mithos shouted.

Yuan rose to his feet in a rush of anger and fury while drawing out his weapon so fast Kratos barely had enough time to react. He had just barely pulled out his sword before Yuan struck. His hand was barely cut but he was able to deflect Yuan's attack.

"Now that is what I am talking about!!" Kratos said with delight.

After this remark Yuan sat back down and fell asleep.

* * *

The next day Yuan did not awaken till mid-afternoon just from pure exhaustion. As soon as he arose the little band of fighters went on their way. They went towards the western city of Cane Hollow. It took another week to get into the western territories and as they just made their entrance they noticed weird heat signatures in the nearest town.

As the entered the village known as Heat, they began to sweat uncontrollably. They went to the nearest inn to try and cool off. When they got inside they noticed it was just as hot inside as it was outside.

Yuan walked up to the clerk and asked, "Why is it so freakin' hot?"

"There seems to be some fire power coming from the underground lair of the ancients. Check it out if you have time."

"Thanks," Mithos interjected, "but we would just like to stay for the night."

As the group was handed their key the scurried off to their room. As the all entered they quietly shut the door behind them.

"Do you think it could be Efreet?" Martel asked.

"It is a very good possibility," Mithos responded, "I think we should check it out."

* * *

As the group went off to sleep Kratos envisioned another fight where his life would be on the line. The next morning the group gathered together the necessary items before setting out to the ruins. When they finally prepared they set off. The group chatted along the way reminiscing of past experiences and started to devise a plan to stop the fiery, fuming spirit. When they reached the entrance to the ruins they began to be ecstatic. At the front entrance a giant slab of metal was placed off to the side of the once hidden passage.

Yuan questioned," Who in the world would come to the Ruins where Efreet lives?"

"I haven't the foggiest idea," Mithos replied.

"Well whoever or whatever it is we will have to go down and find out whom that the perpetrator is," said Kratos.

The group continued their tireless journey through the sweltering blankets of heat. When the finally reached the end chamber, they saw a mysterious group, dressed in red robes were currently in pursuit of the fire spirit, Efreet.

"Watch out," Martel screamed, "there are more behind you Efreet!"

"What are you pesky brats doing here?" questioned the apparent leader.

"We came here to make a pact with the Summon Spirit of Fire, the one you are currently battling," Mithos replied arrogantly.

"You would do well to watch your tongue in the presence of a mana master."

"Yeah, well, I never was good at obeying rules or respecting my elders. This fight ends now!"

As the two raced forward casting their spells a cry in unison "Indignation" sounded and a giant lightning bolt ruptured through the great fiery lair. The fighting between the robed people and the Summon Spirit ceased while the clash of the two magic casters was under way.

"We should sneak around and get rid of the other henchmen," Yuan whispered to his fellow combatant, "Martel, you stay here and help Mithos out while we are gone."

As Yuan and Kratos slunk away they came up behind their desired opponents and began to wail on them. In a matter of seconds the unsuspecting culprits were neutralized. While Mithos and the leader of the robed people still continued their unison chants of many spells, Yuan and Kratos walked up to challenge Efreet to a battle.

"We challenge you Efreet and if we win you must accompany us and give us your power," Kratos yelled.

"Fine, I accept these terms," Efreet replied hoarsely.

The long awaited battle ensued. Yuan rushed in with his blade, branded, and started swiping at Efreet at a rapid pace. Meanwhile, Kratos stood back to test his more fully developed magic attacks. Yuan had the first big attack.

"Thunder Explosion," Yuan wailed.

Kratos cast Grave shortly thereafter and the fight came to a close. Minimal damage was taken and no serious injury was sustained. Now the attention was turned towards the battling magic casters and the great display of strength and ability.


End file.
